The adventures of a gainfully employed, divorced, 50 year old, vegetarian, twin, Jackson Browne loving, two time breast cancer surviviving, step mother, who is probably going to wind up being the crazy lady in the mobile home park who knits matching sweaters and tams for her herd of cats.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Bucket List

I'm getting pretty good at hijacking ideas from other bloggers so here I go again. I took this bucket list from Jason. http://www.jason-thejasonshow.blogspot.com/

I've accomplished a lot of things on this list but I have some things I'd like to add to my own personal bucket list...I will do that on another post.

1. Started your own blog You’d look pretty silly being on this page if I hadn’t!2. Slept under the stars I have slept under the stars on a couple of occasions but the most memorable time was in 1977 when my family stayed at a place in Mission Bay called “Campland”. My sister, her best friend and I slept in sleeping bags outside of our rented mini Winnebago. I was awakened due to something touching my face repeatedly. At first I thought it was a pesky fly or something then as I was more awake I thought it was a wild animal or that prolific serial murderer with the hook for a hand...so I tried to jump up to get away…not an easy feat when you are entangled in a sleeping bag. I was very happy to discover that the wild animal serial killer who was tapping my face was a very beautiful kitty who belonged to the campers next door to us. The kitty was on a leash and he was streeeeetcccchhhhed as far as he could be in order to reach me. His hind legs were paralyzed so he rolled instead of walked. The sun was up so he thought it was time to play. 3. Played in a band I am assuming that my tenure in the Fairgrove marching Falcons and subsequent enlistment in the Workman High School marching Lobos doesn't count.....4. Visited HawaiiI have been to Hawaii many times and I can’t wait to return. It is truly paradise and I would move there in a heart beat if I could get my family to move with me.5. Watched a meteor shower6. Bathed in a river I swam in the Colorado river but there was no soap involved.7. Been to the Taj MahalI really have no desire to see that part of the world.8. Walked on a glacier in AlaskaI stuck my foot in glacier water when I was in Canada and it was so cold that my foot instantly went numb. Does that count? 9. Caught and held a snakeNot if it would save the universe from certain extinction. 10. Spoke in front of a big crowdI have done public speaking but never to a crowd that was so big it required crowd control. I have no fear of public speaking.11. Bungee jumped Not yet, but one of these days.12. Had a whirlwind love affair that broke your heartNot really a whirlwind kinda gal… 13. Found an arrowhead or fossilFound the skull of an animal in the hills behind my high school…does that count?14. Taught yourself an art from scratch I taught myself to crochet. I can’t read a pattern and I don’t even know if I’m doing it right but I’ve made several blankets and scarves and they haven’t fallen apart so I must be doing something right!15. Rescued an animalI have rescued a tiny baby bunny, and so many kittens that I’ve lost count. You’ve never lived until you’ve tried to hand feed a litter of kittens who need to eat several times a day while you have a full time job on the other end of town. (prepare formula, warm it up, put it in a bottle, wrap kitten in a towel or get kneaded to smithereens, feed kitten, get milk all over everything in the vacinity, burp kitten, encourage kitten to pee, clean up mess and start with the next kitten.) Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR) stinks and it's sticky. I've been covered from head to toe with it on many, many occasions.16. Ate sweet breads, glands or tripeTruly, truly, not if I were starving to death would I put that crap in my mouth. I would eat cement before I would eat sweet breads.17. Seen Mount Rushmore in person18. Grown your own vegetables I have had many of my own gardens and while tomatoes and cucumbers are really good there is nothing better than eating sugar snap peas right off the vine.19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France Yes, I’ve gotten to hang with Mona. If you look in my archives…I wrote all about it and even posted a picture of her. It was a dream come true.20. Slept on an overnight train21. Had a pillow fight22. Hiked to base camp on Mt. Everest)23. Taken a sick day when you’re not illIs there anyone in the world who hasn’t done this?24. Built a snow fort25. Watched an animal being bornKittens, puppies and a cow.26. Gone skinny dippingI have done some crazy things in my life but so far I've never been inspired to do this.27. Learned a foreign languageI’ve taken 3 semesters of sign language in college. If you want me to tell you that you are beautiful or that someone is a flying asshole than I’m your girl! Other than that...I can do my ABC's....28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice I rode a gondola in Las Vegas. That is in my archives, too.29. Seen a total eclipseI’ve seen one and while I know it’s rare I just didn’t understand why it was such a big deal.30. Stayed up for more than 24 hours I’ve done this on several occasions. It was much easier when I was 20.31. Trained a dog to do cool tricks 32. Been on a cruise I’ve been on a 4 day Mexican cruise twice. I LOVE being on a ship in the ocean and I would like to do it again...maybe the 3rd time will be the charm. Both times my cruise was cursed with cold and rainy weather. Sat out on the deck just long enough to say I did it. When I got too cold I came back inside. That took about 45 seconds.33. Seen Niagara Falls in personI’ve been to Niagara Falls twice. If you get too close to the spray you need to beware because all of a sudden you will be starring in your very own yet very public wet tee shirt contest! 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestorsLast summer I got to go to Wales and I’m glad to see that I come by my affection for thrift stores because of my Welsh ancestry.35. Seen an Amish communityI’ve been to the Amish country in Ohio twice. It is fascinating to think that there are people in today’s world who don’t use electricity yet still run a business on a daily basis. I went to a shoe store that had gas lighting and they used scratch paper to figure out the cost of my shoes instead of a cash register. 36. Can drive a stick shift carOf course I can drive a stick shift car….easy peasy lemon squeezy!37. Won over $1000 in a raffle or lotteryI won much more than that in a class action law suit that I never expected to produce .05 so it was like winning the lottery. (When I was married to my 2nd husband we came within one number of winning the lottery. We had all but one number but we had the bonus number. I honestly just about fainted. We did win a nice amount of money but we had to split it with 19 other people.)38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing40. Seen Michelangelo’s David41. Sung karaoke My sister and I sang karaoke and cleared out the room at a littlel girl's birthday party! I have played "Rock Band" with my little nephew and I thought I was really bringing it home with "Blitzkreig Bop" until he said, "Why are you singing it like that, Momo?"42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt Yes, and while it is beautiful it stinks!43. Been serenaded I've been sung to but not officially serenaded.44. Visited AfricaNot yet….45. Walked on a beach by moonlightYes, on more than one occasion. It is always lovely, of course it is more lovely in Hawaii because the water is warmer.46. Broke a boneI have broken my funny bone on more than one occasion and it was painful but it pails in comparison to tearing or stretching ligaments. I’ve torn more ligaments than Carters got pills and the pain is relentless and it takes forever to heal. I highly recommend breaking a bone over tearing a ligament.47. Started your own businessFunny you should ask…this will be the subject of tomorrows post.48. Quit a job because you were totally unhappy Yes. I. Did. I worked for a company who’s initials were the same as a monthly womanly plague and I swear the name was perfect. The woman I worked for was completely insane. If I could remember her name we could search for her email address and tell her that I hope she gets many painful hangnails. (I actually do remember her name…but the name she used at work was a nom-de-plume. She didn’t use her real name because the company screwed many people out of a lot of money and when they regrouped she didn’t want anyone to know that she was still working there.)49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the Eiffel Tower I’ve been to the Eiffel Tower twice and it was glorious both times. On my second visit we went to the 2nd landing. I couldn’t convince my sister to go any higher but one of these days I will make it to the top.51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelingI have gone snorkeling in Hawaii. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life and I can’t wait to do it again. I would love to learn how to scuba dive but I am too afraid of the tank being too heavy and drowning me.52. Kissed in the rain passionately53. Played in the mudOne time my sister and one of our cousins and I played in the mud when we were quite old enough to know better. We were supposed to be waiting patiently to go somewhere but we went to the mud hole instead. We were covered in it from head to toe. I remember having so much fun….but I also remember being embarrassed when we came back home and looked like a bunch of 5 year olds.54. Gone to a drive-inMany, many times.55. Been in a movieI’ve done extra work on the tv show “Life Goes On”. It was the longest 3 days of my life and that quelled any possible ambition I ever had to become an actress.56. Visited the Great Wall of China57. Joined a prayer group58. Taken a martial arts class59. Visited Russia60. Served at a soup kitchenTwo Thanksgivings in a row I flew to Ohio and helped a church group put thousands of meals together for homeless people and elderly shut ins. It was a very rewarding experience and I was in awe at seeing so many people come together and do something nice with out fighting about anything.61. Sold Girl Scout CookiesI was a cadet girl scout and I’ve been a Brownie leader and I had to sell cookies whether I liked it or not. Then I switched to being a Daisy leader because they don’t have to sell cookies. 62. Gone whale watchingI’ve been whale watching in southern California and in Hawaii. In California we got so close to whales that I thought they were going to fling our boat out of the water with just a tiny flick of their pinkie. You feel very invincible and secure in a commercial cabin cruiser until you get near a whale …that’s when you realize just how small you really are.63. Received flowers for no reasonBoth of my husbands were very generous at bringing me flowers for no reason. Of course they were the flowers that you buy from the illegal immigrant on the freeway off ramp but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?64. Donated blood, platelets or plasmaI was always too thin to donate when I was younger. You had to weigh 100 pound and I didn’t break 100 pounds until I was well in to my 20’s. Then when I was diagnosed with cancer at age 33 I wasn’t allowed to donate…so I guess the easy answer to this would be no.65. Gone sky divingYES!!!!!! And I want to go again. Who’s with me??66. Visited a Nazi Concentration CampI haven’t done that but just recently I went to the Japanese Museum in Los Angeles and I saw their Manazanar Exhibit. It really made me furious to think that the government just plucked all of the Japanese people out of their homes, schools, jobs, etc. and put them behind barbed wire fences just because of their ethnic back ground. Innocent children…families of G.I’s who were fighting on our side….just thrown into camps so the government could keep an eye on them. It just made me sick. Then I stopped and remembered after 9/11 how afraid I was of anyone who looked like they were from the middle east. That must have been how the powers that be felt back in the days of Manzanar. I’m glad more humanity was shown to the middle eastern people of America after the 9/11 tragedy.67. Bounced a checkI bounced one small check over 30 years ago and just about died of humiliation. Then when I was in the process of divorcing my first husband he cashed a check from our joint bank account for over $100.00 at Vons. That’s a felony! I still can’t write checks there.68. Flown in a helicopterNot yet but I want to. Anyone have a helicopter??69. Saved a favorite childhood toyI have a bunch of my childhood toys. I don’t know why I insist on saving them at this point. 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial71. Eaten caviarAgain, not if I was starving to death.72. Pieced a quiltI used to be the advisor of a “Key Club” http://slp.kiwanis.org/KeyClub/home.aspx and we participated in many service projects. One of the funner things was “The Binky Patrol”. http://www.binkypatrol.org/ This is a world wide group that makes blankets and then donates them to children that need them. Some of them are kept in the trunks of police cars, some of them are kept at homeless shelters, some of them are kept at hospitals…the Binkie Patrol believes that EVERYBODY should have a blankie. And I agree with them. Our group made several quilts and I know they were going to a wonderful place but they were still hard to relinquish.73. Stood in Times SquareI’ve been to Times Square on several occasions. The last time I was there I was sitting on the steps of an Army Recruiting station and a kitty came out from under the steps. A news paper reporter took my picture and asked for permission to publish my photo. I said yes, but I have no idea what news paper it was for and thus never saw it. Also, in or around Times Square I was standing there, minding my own business, taking a picture…when…a…bird…shit in my purse and on my head. My fellow traveler thought this was hilarious. There wasn’t a napkin to be seen. She’s lucky I didn’t clean myself off with her sleeve. 74. Toured the Everglades75. Been fired from a jobI have been fired twice from the same company! One of my first jobs was at a bank in down town Los Angeles. I worked in the real estate loan department. I was fired for “grossly taking advantage of (my boss) good nature”. (“Good nature”!!! HA!!!!) A couple of days after being let go they called me and asked if I would like to work in the branch. Anything was better than nothing so I went back. I can’t remember how long I lasted but it wasn’t long. It was one of my many stints in Hell.76. Seen the changing of the guards in LondonLast summer my sister and I hoofed it all the way to Buckingham Palace from our flat nice and early so we could get a good spot to watch the changing of the guard. As the minutes passed the crowd grew larger and larger. We waited and waited and there was no changing of any guard. Apparently when there is even the slightest hint of inclement weather they do not have the ceremony. The weather forecast called for a slight possibility of rain that day but we never saw a rain drop. It would have been nice if someone could have made that announcement before we all waited for over an hour.77. Broken something extremely expensiveI wrecked my mom’s Country Squire station wagon. Does that count?78. Been on a speeding motorcycleHusband #1 had a motorcycle. He took me for a ride and before I got on I made him promise 2 things: that he wouldn’t go fast and that he wouldn’t go on the freeway. He did both and he’s lucky I didn’t pee his pants.79. Seen the Grand Canyon in personI have been to the Grand Canyon twice. It is much more glorious than you would ever think a big hole in the earth would be.80. Published a book81. Visited the Vatican82. Got a tattoo 83. Been to a coffee shop in Amsterdam84. Seen the aurora borealis in person85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House87. Killed and prepared an animal for eatingI could NEVER do this. This is one of the main reasons I gave up eating meat in 1974 and have never looked back.88. Had chickenpoxYes, and I was very pretty, as was my twin sister.89. Saved someone’s life When my oldest nephew was a baby he found a penny in the shag carpet and he put it in his mouth. I walked in to the room just as he was turning purple gasping for air. I swooped him up by his foot and while he was hanging upside down I slapped his back. The penny went flying across the room and he was able to breath again. I am truly thankful that I found him when I did but I am more thankful that I didn’t break his back.90. Sat on a juryI was a jury foreman on an attempted murder trial. It was very exciting. Our verdict: guilty. The entire jury was very smart and thoughtful….with the exception of one woman who was so dense I thought I was being punked.91. Met someone famousSee previous post92. Joined a book club93. Lost a loved one My best friend died in a car accident after leaving my house and the thinking the accident had only been a fender bender her parents called me to go pick her up at the accident site. When we got to the accident site it was the most awful thing I’ve ever seen. Another story for another post.I’ve lost all 4 of my grandparents and my dad and two beloved cats.94. Toured the UN95. Hiked to Machu Picchu 96. Swam in the Indian Ocean 97. Conversed with someone when neither of you spoke each others language When I worked at the high school it was my job to enroll new students. We had people enrolled at the school from Mexico, China, Japan, Turkey, Greece and they didn’t speak a lick of English. Somehow I managed to get them enrolled and we didn’t even have to draw pictures!98. Dirty danced Not on purpose...but one time back in the days of disco...I was wearing a tube top underneath a sheer blouse. And I was dancing...whoo hoo...dancing machine....dancey dancin'...la la la...and I raised my arms up and the tube top went down. I tried to be as discreet as possible and then I thought DISCREET? I'm half naked here...so I just blatantly pulled it up and thanked God that YouTube hadn't been invented yet.99. Been stung by a beeThe first time I was stung by a bee was on the road traveling with a drum and bugle corps. We were in Pennsylvania and I was standing out in an open field at a high school watching the drum corps rehearse. All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain and I thought I had been shot with a bb gun. In. My. Butt. I grabbed my butt and went running to the cafeteria where the rest of our group was and told one of the mothers my story. I was relieved to know that I had only been stung by a bee and not shot with a gun. The mother poured vinegar on it and the pain instantly went away. Remember that…it could come in handy some day. 100. Acted in a play.My latest foray in to play acting was in 2005. I was working at the high school and they had a few parts for adults in the spring musical. I was cast at Lulu Warniker in “Footloose”. Lulu is the aunt of the main character. She doesn’t even have any lines in the moves! I had 6 lines and you could almost hear me in the front row! I never got that Tony nod I was promised….

7 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Loved the post...I speak to you every single day, and probably know more about you then anyone on earth, yet its still interesting and fun to read these list thingie's.I have to add my quick answer for # 71 Mike MADE me taste Beluga caviar at one of the first Hollywood parties we ever went to, on the idea of " when will we ever have the chance again to eat something so exclusive and wonderful"? YUCK Yuck, uckyay!I would join you in eating cement before I would ever put that gurrr in my mouth again!Tori

Tori,You and I have both been convinced to put fish in our mouths by someone we loved and all.."no for reason"! Remember when I was dating Ray Lintern and he promised me the moon and the stars if I just tasted one bite of lobster? I tasted it, kept my composure while contemplating death, and that rascal never delivered his promise.

hmmm, I believe I was the "fellow traveler" who witnessed the pigeon pooping, and I'm sorry, it just was hilarious. You know you would have laughed at me if I was the recepient. And as for the kitty, he probably came to you because he smelled "bird". Ok,. I'm laughing again, and I am not a New Yorker, I am the BFF!! Love ewe..............